Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I will never buy store-bought enchilada sauce again! This homemade version is simple and taste a million times better than anything that comes from a can. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now.

The other night, we had a few friends over for dinner. It was a weeknight, and I wanted to test out this recipe and figured they would make great guinea pigs. While we were eating dinner, one of our friends asked if we ate like this every night. We didn’t have anything super crazy: black beans, citrus and cilantro rice, and chicken enchiladas made with this homemade sauce. Some nights we keep it simple with roasted chicken and veggies, but almost every night, one of us will cook dinner. I hate eating out more than a couple times a week. We eat out for lunch when we’re on the road for work sometimes, we usually have breakfast at the Nook once a week, and we’ll have dinner out once or twice a week, but most of our meals are at home. We eat breakfast here, we have leftovers for lunch, and one of us will cook dinner. It makes me feel better when I eat at home.

I’m trying to make more things from scratch, though. Bread, sauces, stock, creamer, etc. I hate buying something at the grocery store just because it’s easier, and I can not pronounce a quarter of the ingredients. Making recipes from scratch is a little more work but the quality so much better. This recipe is proof it’s worth the extra time to make it yourself.

I used New Belgium Shift, an American Pale Lager. I’d recommend using a light flavor beer. Avoid anything too bitter. It could overpower the sauce.

Other Beers to Try:

• Odell Double Pilsner- Odell Brewing Co.
• Session Lager- Full Sail Brewing Co.
• Bells Lager Of The Lakes- Bell’s Brewery
• Kentucky Kolsch- Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.